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Dr. Dre profile highlights perfectionism, mysterious process

By Jeremy Horwitz ● Monday, June 9, 2014

A Wall Street Journal profile of Beats Electronics co-founder and new Apple executive Dr. Dre says that the vaunted producer and rapper is a perfectionist, and “serves as Beats’ ‘cultural barometer’ of what is cool,” but uses a “mysterious process” and is “rarely seen at Beats headquarters.” In detailing the highlights of Dre’s career, the profile notes that Dre has released only two solo albums since 1992, with a third album called Detox long in gestation, as he focused on producing songs for other artists. While working with Beats, Dre’s “main obsession is perfecting the sound of the company’s signature high-end headphones,” but the “fitness-obsessed” producer also weighed in on advertising, fonts, and elements of the Beats Music streaming service, rapidly dismissing “corny” ideas and disregarding “artificial deadlines.” According to the article, Dre worked to keep the company’s ads focused on sound with an “insider message,” and resisted attempts to expand Beats’ appeal beyond its predominantly male, under 24-year-old core consumer. The WSJ notes that Dre’s seeming lack of productivity could be an issue for Apple, which has not commented on whether Dre and Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine will have employment contacts with the company.